Review for Liquid Nitro Low Carb

CAFFEINE CONTENT

160 mg/16 oz. can—I believe.

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

I’ve known of Liquid Nitro for a while, but I have not for the life of me been able to find it until recently, when I decided to stop by a random, out-of-the-way gas station.  Here on the Western side of the U.S., finding it’s a fluke.  Open question to readers: any of you live anywhere where it’s commonplace?

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

As with the original, I find the simplicity to convey a firm yet understated confidence that I find quite appealing—if you’re confident enough in your product that that you don’t need to shriek it out to get my attention, then I would say you’ve earned it.

TASTE—7

I had the same experience with Liquid Nitro Low Carb as I did the original in that after I opened the can, I just stood there sniffing it for a minute or so before drinking it.  The smell is complex and very appealing—Red Bull clone to be sure, but much more delicate, and almost floral.  It’s so intriguing that it’s almost a letdown to find out that it’s your run-of-the-mill Red Bull clone, maybe with a hint or two of the herbs in the proprietary blend.  It’s better than most of the Wired Red Bull clones, but at the same time falls far, far short of what the scent led me to expect.

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

At least in terms of energy, Liquid Nitro Low Carb doesn’t disappoint.  In the 16 oz. size, it provides a very satisfactory degree of energy with only marginal jitters.

KICK (DURATION)—8

The effects lasted for the better part of three and a half hours, with only enough of a worn-out feeling after the fact to make me wonder whether I was crashing.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.67

I have to say I was a little disappointed with Liquid Nitro Low Carb—and it’s all because of that dang scent.  It’s so intriguing, but in the end, it’s coming from something so standard that it’s really quite disheartening.  That said, the herb nuances I detected in the flavor will appeal to some people, even if I found that it didn’t fit with the Red Bull clone mold.  If you can get your hand on a can, try it at least once, and let me know your thoughts—I’m sure that the resulting diversity of opinions will prove interesting.

WEBSITE: nitrobeverages.com

KEYWORDS: Liquid Nitro Low Carb energy drink review, low carb, low calorie

Review for Liquid Nitro

CAFFEINE CONTENT

80 mg/8.4 oz. can

160 mg/16 oz. can

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

This was one of those finds I made stopping on a whim at an out-of-the-way gas station—you know, the kind that more often than not yields nothing, but occasionally turns up something I’ve never so much as heard of before.  This was the last can of the original flavor; other than that there were two really beat-up 16 oz. cans of the low carb version, plus one that was in good enough shape to add to my can collection.  Picked up both.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

I like the simplicity of the older look; much like Red Bull conveys a silent but certain confidence that makes it very hard to ignore.  The newer one (see the pic of the big can) I like about as much, just in a different way—more in the way I like Monster’s packaging now than Red Bull’s.

TASTE—7

This is one of those flavors that I’m going to go on an on about only to say I have mixed feelings on it.  Popping the top, I took a whiff—and another, and another.  I didn’t drink it for about a minute or so because I was so busy smelling it.  It’s very intriguing—like Red Bull, but delicate and complex—things I never thought I’d say about the smell of an energy drink.  Tasting it, it’s more of a fairly standard Red Bull clone—heavier than the original enough that I wanted to dock a point.  There are some nuances of the herbal constituents of the proprietary blend (the fact that it’s made in Jamaica opens doors to all kinds of jokes there, but I will refrain…), which I liked but found to clash with the semi-cheap Red Bull clone flavor.  Some people are going to think it’s wonderful, others aren’t going to care for it at all—it’s just going to be one of those things that depends entirely upon the person.

8.4 OZ. CAN

KICK (INTENSITY)—6.5

Kick’s not bad for a shrimpy can.  It’s enough of a boost to be considered useful for less demanding energy situations, which I find I experience at least as often as the more demanding ones.

KICK (DURATION)—6.5

I got just shy of three hours here—so not shabby.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

I would have seen more of a kick, but all things considered I can’t complain about the 8.4 oz. can all that much.  At the very least buying it will provide an interesting flavor experience, and I recommend that you try it for yourself if you can get it.

16 OZ. CAN

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

About the same as you’d get out of most any variety of Monster or other standard energy drink—pretty good, but I would love something that went at least a little beyond the norm.

KICK (DURATION)—8

Three and a half hours, no crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.67

Not the best energy drink in the world, but not the worst, either.  Like I said, try it if you can get it, and leave your comments below.

WEBSITE: nitrobeverages.com

KEYWORDS: Liquid Nitro energy drink review, herbal energy, Jamaican energy drink

Review for Ironclad--Goji Berry

I’ve heard good things about Ironclad, so it came as a surprise when it turned up at Big Lots this last week.  For those of you who are unaware as to why I would find this paradoxical, allow me to educate you: Big Lots serves as a sort of energy drink graveyard.  While I’ve had the occasional good find there, (i.e. the highly underrated Monster Energy—Heavy Metal), it is largely stocked with drinks that range from the mediocre likes of the True Colors and Rip It lines to colossal failures like X Games Energy and Buy This Energy Drink, Help Kids—Lemon Lime.  As I did with all those, I bought both flavors of Ironclad that they were offering there and am here to report to you on the first.

CAFFEINE CONTENT

154 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—2

Fairly uncommon for the time being.  Not sure if that will be changing.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

Ironclad—Goji Berry has some good things going for it in terms of packaging—I like the insignia, and I like the generally tough look of the thing, which makes it appropriate for a gym setting (this is, after all, a hydration drink).  Fact of the matter remains, however, that I don’t like bare aluminum.

TASTE—9

Popping open the can, I decided to take a whiff and see if I could ascertain what I was getting myself into.  After the first sniff, all I could think was “ah, crap”—it really didn’t smell all that good; kind of like fermented berries if anything.  Taking a sip, however, produced a very different experience, and the smell did not interfere in the least (contrast this with NX—Speed Freak or NX—Lean & Mean, which both made me feel like I was getting rotten mango pulp shoved up my nose every time I tried to drink them).  The flavor is complex—kind of a slightly earthy cranberry with less tang and a hint of cherry.  It was a light and refreshing experience; whatever the reason for its showing up at Big Lots, it’s not because of the taste.

KICK (INTENSITY)—8.5

Kick is fairly stout, considering the caffeine content.  I found it to be a solid, productiveness-promoting sort of boost, more than enough to help you get lots done around the house, and excellent for a trip to the gym for some lifting.

KICK (DURATION)—8.5

In a fashion similar to the Monster Rehab line, the peak lasted about an hour, after which there was a tapering off to a lesser energy level.  Total time amounted to somewhere south of four hours.

THE DRINK OVERALL—8.67

I hope that its appearance at Big Lots doesn’t actually spell the end for Ironclad—Goji Berry, because I frankly think it deserves a widespread clientele.  It’s refreshing and it’s effective, and I recommend it without hesitation.

WEBSITE: ironcladenergy.com

KEYWORDS: Ironclad Goji Berry energy drink review, hydration, refreshing

Review for Buy This Energy Drink, Help Kids--Lemon Lime

Buy This Energy Drink, Help Kids—Lemon Lime is a drink put out by the charity Sheetz for Kidz, with 25 cents from each sale going towards the organization’s cause.  If you want to know more, look it up.  I just want to get out there before I begin my mighty hammering of this drink.

No, I don’t have a problem with Sheetz, but I do have a problem with this drink.  It’s bad enough that if I were made a chief administrator of the organization tomorrow, I would rename it Buy This Energy Drink, Or Help Kids—make it a choice between drinking it or donating to Sheetz.  I think they’d get a lot more revenue coming in that way, at least if other’s experiences were like my own.  That out of the way, let’s get started!

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Unknown—but it’s got to be on the low end of things.

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

This was a Big Lots acquisition.  More than many energy drinks, I think it deserves to be there.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—1

This is the first of many failures when it comes to this drink.  It doesn’t even try to be appealing—just slaps the ‘name’ of the drink on the front with some truly noxious coloration.  Looking at it you can almost tell that the only reason you’d even think about buying it would be to donate indirectly to the organization.

TASTE—1

Much as I hate to admit it, my two-and-a-half year old son likes a drink called Hog Wash, which is essentially a mix of water, high-fructose corn syrup, and dye.  Most of the time when I’m out, I can convince him to drink something healthier—but sometimes he is insistent on the Hog Wash.

This drink reminds me of Hog Wash (though I think even my son would turn it down), just a conglomeration of industrial-grade chemicals made into a drink.  It is overly sweet, it is fake tasting, and it is gross.  I don’t mind Sheetz putting out an energy drink per se, but to put out a drink so bad as a compensation for donating is almost seems insulting (Ha ha!  Got you to donate!  SUCKER!!!).

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

Kick’s pretty crappy, also.  Only enough to notice, and maybe take the edge off the cravings coming from a caffeine addiction.

KICK (DURATION)—5

Lousy!

THE DRINK OVERALL—3.67

Don’t buy this energy drink, but do help kids.  If the Sheetz charity appeals to you, follow the link below; or, find another charity that you feel inclined to help out.  Donate.  Volunteer.  Do something.  But don’t buy this energy drink.

WEBSITE: http://sheetz.com/main/community/charities.cfm

KEYWORDS: Buy This Energy Drink, Help Kids energy drink review

Review for Red Rain Storm Surge

CAFFEINE CONTENT

142 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Another Dollar Tree acquirement.  Check there.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5.5

I like that the orange of Storm Surge is flashier than the red of the original (which almost faded completely into the background on the shelves), but as a whole it’s still not all that impressive (incidentally, I still don't get the pinstripes).

TASTE—6

I wasn’t wowed by the taste here.  Passion fruit serves as the primary inspiration, though there are muddled hints of orange and maybe mango—almost like Amp (which I was not fond of either), except not nearly as sweet.  It’s the sort of thing that made me wish I had a NOS.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

Storm Surge delivers a decent, mid-range kick—the sort you’d look for if you were tired (but not exhausted) and needed a moderate boost.  Its use is therefore limited, but plenty adequate for those circumstances.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Three hours or so passed before the caffeine wore off, after which there was a mild crash, though not a deal-breaking one.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

As I said, I’ll be sticking with NOS, but if you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to Amp, give Red Rain—Storm Surge a whirl.

WEBSITE: redrain.ca

KEYWORDS: Red Rain Storm Surge energy drink review, bargain energy drink, Dollar Tree

Review for Redline Xtreme--Lime

This is the first in a series of reviews of Redline energy drinks.  In this case, the review applies to the full bottle—which is something that won’t apply in subsequent reviews.  Read on for details.

CAFFEINE CONTENT

316 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Finding Redline products isn’t all that difficult, but it does help if you know where to look.  I find it’s more common at specialty chains like GNC and what not more than places like gas stations and Wal-Mart, though I have seen them on occasion at both of those.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

Not a whole lot needs to be said here—design is about as basic as they come, but—it’s recognizable as a Redline beverage.  And in this case, that’s all that really counts.

TASTE—6

When it comes to really serious energy drinks like this, taste is frequently a secondary consideration.  This is about what I expected when I cracked open the bottle and started sipping, and in some ways, that’s what I got.  The first half of the flavor experience is pleasant—it actually tastes like limeade.  The second half, however, you get a mouthful of bitter, medicinal, artificial sweetener-laden aftertaste—quite enough to turn me off.

KICK (INTENSITY)—10+

Redline’s one of those drinks that I knew of well before I started reviewing energy drinks—in just about every circle in which energy drinks would be consumed, it’s reputation for singular potency precedes it.

Reading the proprietary blend listed on the back/side, I can believe it.  There are a number of ingredients in this drink that I haven’t seen in others, including an extract of the herb yohimbe, which is betimes employed in botanical circles as a treatment for erectile dysfunction.  A conversation I don’t particularly want to have:

ACQUAINTENCE: So, how’d that Redline work for ya?

ME:  IT GAVE ME ERECTIONS!!!

Anyway, recommended serving’s four ounces—so half the bottle.  I started off with that, and got a pretty decent buzz.  Then I decided, “You know what?  I think I could handle more.”  So…I went ahead and took down the rest of it, which turned out to be a mistake.  Redline’s a creeper—the effects aren’t immediately obvious, but build over the course of a half hour or so.  Once that time frame passed, I was left with a kick that was legitimately insane—I was bounding from task to task, wrapping up projects in about half the normal time just because it was so dang uncomfortable to sit still.

Trust me on this—four ounces will do you just fine.

KICK (DURATION)—10+

So…as though it weren’t enough that it was so dang strong, the effects of the full bottle kept me going for about ten hours.  Yeah, you read right—ten hours of insane energy.  What on earth does anybody need to go that strong for that long for?  Unless you’re creating the heavens and the earth, I’ll say it once again­­—half a bottle will work just fine.

THE DRINK OVERALL—9.33

If you’re going to drink Redline, go ahead—but drink half the bottle.  I will be reviewing Redline beverages based on what the recommended serving delivers—because drinking the full eight ounces is just nuts.

WEBSITE: http://www.vpxsports.com/sports-nutrition/fat-loss-energy-supplements

KEYWORDS: Redline Xtreme Lime energy drink review, extreme energy, low calorie, zero calorie, sugar free

Review for Hi Ball Energy--Vanilla Energy Water

CAFFEINE CONTENT

200 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—4

Found at all (so far as I am aware) Fred Meyer stores…and others, apparently.  But I’m not sure about those.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

White can, brown dots/logo—I suppose that this is appropriate, given the vanilla nature of this drink, but apart from noting the appropriateness of the color scheme, the can elicits no real response from me.

TASTE—7

I can almost guarantee that you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate this drink.  I’ve never had anything of the sort—vanilla seltzer water?  Vanilla seems like something more appropriate for ice cream or soymilk or something like that—but seltzer water?  To be perfectly honest, it didn’t offend me in the slightest…but I did find it very, very, very odd.  For the time being, I’m just going to give it a passing grade, if for nothing else other than having the balls go and to do something like vanilla seltzer water.

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

Kick’s not bad.  It’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but it’s fairly smooth and provides some jitters—at the very least, it will wake you up.

KICK (DURATION)—8

Three and a half hours.  No crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.67

I’m not going to recommend or not recommend this drink.  If you want something that works, then sure, I can tell you that this works.  But as far as flavor is concerned, it’s so strange that I’m not especially comfortable saying “yay” or “nay”.  If you’re feeling brave, try it once.  You may never again, but…at least you’ll have tried.

WEBSITE: hiballer.com

KEYWORDS: Hi Ball Vanilla Sparkling Energy Water energy drink review, zero calorie, zero carb, zero sugar, unsweetened, vanilla energy water

Review for Wired X Berry Rush

CAFFEINE CONTENT

100 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—3

This is a relatively new beverage, and as such it is (at least for the time being) relatively uncommon.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

In times past, I’ve made it clear that I am quite partial to purple; more than any other color it has the potential to make things look awesome—if properly executed.  In the case of X Berry Rush, it isn’t.  It has the same strange, quasi-feminine flame pattern as Wired X Passion Fruit, only with a sort of fuchsia background and a strange brass color for the flames.  If X Passion Fruit had the appearance of what hell would look like if the devil were female, X Berry Rush has the appearance of what hell would look like if the devil were female and was partial to 70’s color schematics.

TASTE—6

Wired X Berry Rush has a generic, unconvincing, chemical-y berry taste.  The only thing noteworthy is the presence of the flavor of watermelon (curious, because last I checked, watermelon wasn’t a berry—correct me if I’m wrong, botanists).

KICK (INTENSITY)—7.5

Kicks alright, but for the most part, it consists of jitters (courtesy of the large quantity of b-vitamins employed in the proprietary blend).  Personally, I like my energy drinks to have a little more substance to their kick, so X Berry Rush left me feeling pretty unimpressed.

KICK (DURATION)—7.5

Ballpark of three hours, 15 minutes.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7

Wired X Berry Rush is another subpar entry to a line of largely (notice I didn’t say exclusively or anything of the sort) subpar energy drinks.  There are stronger, better tasting berry energy drinks out there; far to many to waste time with Wired X Berry Rush.

WEBSITE: wiredenergydrink.com

KEYWORDS: Wired X Berry Rush energy drink review, bargain energy drink

Review for Nawgan--Orange

CAFFEINE CONTENT

100 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—3

Around here, available at Safeway stores—but haven’t seen it outside of there.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

Outside the nifty lookin’ brain, I’m not too impressed by the packaging here.  I suppose I have to admit it works, given the nature of the drink, but still a little lackluster.

TASTE—6

Didn’t like this one quite as much as I did the red berry flavor.  The orange is pretty standard, and, worst of all, I can taste the stevia.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

If you’re looking for a serious caffeine boost, Nawgan isn’t the way to go.  Granted, it isn’t really meant to be drank as a hardcore energy supplement—the star ingredient in this drink is Cognizin citicoline, a compound alleged to aid in concentration.  The actual kick is fairly weak, but odds are that not-sleepy students and those sorts of people will appreciate it.

KICK (DURATION)—5

Short lived—shy of two hours.  Hardly enough for a long afternoon of studying.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5.33

In the end, I wasn’t very impressed with Nawgan—Orange.  Unless you’re really into tame stuff and don’t mind the taste of stevia, I’d recommend passing it over.

WEBSITE: nawgan.com

KEYWORDS: Nawgan Orange energy drink review, alertness beverage, low calorie

Review for Nawgan--Red Berries

CAFFEINE CONTENT

100 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—3

Scattered, as of yet—unless you happen to live near a Safeway.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

Nawgan doesn’t really do a whole lot for me—it’s just a white can with a brain on it.  Appropriate, I suppose, given that it’s a ‘help-you-think’ sort of beverage (owing to the presence of a compound the makers of Nawgan call Cognizin citicoline), but it still elicits no response from me.

TASTE—7

Standard red berry fare (mostly raspberry, but with strawberry to mellow out the tartness…you know the drill), but impressive for the fact that you can’t taste the stevia.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

You know, it probably would have been smart of me to drink this when I was about to study rather than when I was almost dead on my feet—maybe I would have been able to perceive some brain-boosting functions.  As was, I found that the experience amounted to an underwhelming degree of alertness.

KICK (DURATION)—5

What little I got only lasted about an hour and 45 minutes—not impressive.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5.67

I wasn’t terribly impressed with Nawgan—Red Berries, but then again, I was employing it in the sort of situation for which the drink was not necessarily made.  I can see it being helpful if I find myself in a situation in which I’m not extraordinarily drowsy and am in need of a slight boost, but other than that, I’d stick with something stronger.

WEBSITE: nawgan.com

KEYWORDS: Nawgan Red Berries energy drink review, alertness beverage, low calorie

Review for Red Rain Downpour

CAFFEINE CONTENT

142 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—4

Haven’t seen this or any other Red Rain product outside of Dollar Tree; check there if interested.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

The bright colors give this can make it so it doesn’t fade into the background so badly as Red Rain; still, the plain can (other than the pinstripe) doesn’t do a whole lot for me.

TASTE—7

The can calls this drink “cherry limeade”, so that’s about what I expected.  The first swig tasted like maraschino cherry syrup—and all I could think was “Ick!”  The cherry flavor mellowed out, however, and soon I wasn’t minding the drink so much.  It wasn’t life-changing, mind you, but it was still passable.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

About average, but at the same time, not so painfully standard as to cause me offense.  It isn’t the strongest pick-me-up, but it should get the job done for your day-to-day requirements.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Effects last around three hours.  No crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7

I wasn’t wowed by Red Rain Downpour, but at the same time, I didn’t dislike it.  If you’re not needing a huge boost and like cherry limeade, give Red Rain Downpour a shot—it’s not all that bad for a buck.

WEBSITE: redrainenergy.ca

KEYWORDS: Red Rain Downpour energy drink review, cherry limeade

Review for Red Rain

CAFFEINE CONTENT

142 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—4

This is another drink I found at Dollar Tree.  So far as I’m aware, this is a store with a very steady inventory (vs. that of Big Lots, which is constantly shifting), so check there if interested.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5

This is the sort of energy drink that is very easy to look over, especially to the casual energy drink seeker—mostly because it doesn’t much look like one; I only recognized it as one because I was on the hunt for new acquisitions, and am in the habit of double-checking these sorts of things.  Anyway, red can with blue pinstripe design doesn’t really scream ‘energy drink’ to me, and probably won’t to most anyone else.

TASTE—7

Red Rain is a Red Bull clone, but it truly isn’t a bad one.  It tastes cleaner than most (take Wired for instance), and leans more towards being sour than anything else.  It does have a bitter medicinal aftertaste that kind of reminded me of Red Bull, but other than that, I found myself drinking a Red Bull clone and not feeling antagonized at the fact—which hasn’t happened in a long time.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

Red Rain’s caffeine content is fairly modest (same as an Amp), so you can expect a boost that’s pretty typical of drinks in that category—it’ll wake you up, and even make you slightly jittery for a bit, but it won’t really produce anything memorable. 

KICK (DURATION)—7

Effects were discernable for about three hours, after which there was a wearing off, but no crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7

In the end, Red Rain was an average energy drink experience, but not so deliberately so that I felt affronted by it.  If you’re into Red Bull clones and aren’t looking for a huge boost, I’d give Red Rain a shot.

WEBSITE: redrainenergy.ca

KEYWORDS: Red Rain energy drink review, traditional energy drink flavor, Red Bull clone

Review for Archer Farms--Sugar Free Cherry Citrus

I’m going to apologize in advance for the bare-bones nature of this review, but I think it’s appropriate, given the fact that this is a bare-bones energy drink.  I have almost nothing to say about it; it is unremarkable in just about every sense of the word; the best I can say is that it at least tastes better than most of the other Archer Farms energy drinks.  If that’s all you need to hear, great—because that’s about all there is that needs saying.  For the sake of completion, however, I’m going to follow my usual review format.  Let my inability to really find anything to say about it stand as a witness against it.

CAFFEINE CONTENT

70 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—7

If you can find a Target, you can find Archer Farms—Sugar Free Cherry Citrus, or any Archer Farms energy drink, for that matter.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

Passable store-brand energy drink fare—colors are nice and deep (a plus, even if I don’t particularly like pink), layout is plain but still clean enough that I can’t be too critical.

TASTE—7

I guess I have to say that I don’t mind the flavor—it’s almost like cherry 7-Up, but not nearly as sweet.  Still, it’s not something so delicious that I’m going to be taking it down by the case on a daily basis.

KICK (INTENSITY)—3

Virtually nonexistent.

KICK (DURATION)—3

The drink was so weak as to be almost imperceptible—how am I supposed to know how long it worked?

THE DRINK OVERALL—4.33

Drink for the taste if the description appeals to you, not for the kick—because you won’t get one.

WEBSITE: target.com

KEYWORDS: Archer Farms Cherry Citrus energy drink review, sugar free, zero carb, zero calorie, diet

Review for Guayaki Yerba Mate--Revel Berry

CAFFEINE CONTENT

150 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—4

Found principally at health food stores and natural foods sections at grocery stores.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

With its Amazonian native/jungle theme and enough certified organic/fair trade certified/etc. stamps to satisfy the most diehard of natural food lovers, this is the sort of thing that fits right in at health food stores…and appears decidedly out of place in my energy drink can collection.  I personally like it, mostly because the guy holding up the mate cup reminds me of myself when I’m taking down a favorite energy drink—as though saying, “CAFFEINE!  Frick YES!”

TASTE—6

This is absolutely a love-it-or-hate it sort of energy drink—and unfortunately, at the moment I’m leaning towards the “hate” end of the spectrum.  I’m perfectly okay with earthy beverages—just read my reviews of the Monster Rehab line and Rockstar Iced if you have any doubts about that (great…now I’m craving a lemonade Rehab).  The problem here is that Revel Berry is all about the earthiness of the yerba mate, and not the actual flavor—I don’t think I caught much more than a hint of berry amongst what tasted like liquefied Amazonian soil.  If you can drink stuff that tastes like this, more power to you.  If I’m in the mood for healthy energy, I’ll be sticking with Viso.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7.5

All that aside, Revel Berry’s 150 mg of caffeine makes for a decent boost—not too in-your-face or jittery, just a really nice, natural-feeling boost.

KICK (DURATION)—7.5

Effects lasted a ballpark of three hours, with not a crash to speak of.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7

If this tasted a little better, this is something I could see myself enjoying for your run-of-the-mill, day-to-day energy requirements.  If you 1) like healthy stuff, 2) find yourself in need of that sort of energy, 3) don’t mind the taste of soil, this just might be the drink to fit your niche.

WEBSITE: guayaki.com

KEYWORDS: Guayaki Revel Berry energy drink review, yerba mate, powerful rainforest experience, certified organic